Have you ever wondered where all the young people in Carmel are? They can't all be off at college, right? (And those that are might be back in 20 years, when they can finally afford a place here.) I found them. They congregate in a hip little Spanish tapas joint called Mundaka, a stone's throw from the well-trod tourist route.

One step inside, and you'll know why this is maybe the coolest spot in town. Your senses are pleasantly assaulted by the scent of herbs, spices and cooked meat, good covers of vaguely familiar songs, and attractive 20-somethings conversing over wine and cocktails.

Barely four years old, the eatery was opened during the ebb of the area's recession, but has established itself as a hot spot, and is expanding to include a pintxos (small bites) location in an adjacent space.

Everything about the restaurant is environmentally sustainable – from the building to the food. Chef Brandon Miller explained to me that the Edison-style lighting fixtures were handmade from salvaged plumbing materials, old doors were repurposed into wall paneling, and the 200-year-old reclaimed redwood bar is built atop a corrugated metal roof that survived the great Big Sur fire.

This is the first venture from Gabe Georis. And if the name Georis sounds familiar (possibly from yesterday's article about Fandango, which Walter Georis founded in 1983), it's no surprise given his roots in the Carmel restaurant biz. He's the nephew of Walter and the son of Gaston Georis, who founded Casanova, as well as Corkscrew in Carmel Valley, in addition to a winery.

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